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Sunday, April 02, 2017

Dividing and planting chives, one of my favorite herbs in the kitchen garden. Read more about them and my five other easy to grow favorites here. (I've been using my beloved hand-forged Korean garden toolto do nearly every job in the garden for over 22 years.)

The other day I read in a magazine that one $4 herb plant grows 15 to 30 of those $3 grocery store packs of "fresh" sprigs. Wow. So besides all the other joys and benefits that come from having your own little herb garden, even if you end up killing off your plants in a month, you'll still most likely have already eaten more than your money's worth.

A friend once told me she used to stand by the fresh herb display at the supermarket and try to convince everyone who reached for a packet of rosemary that they really should go buy a live plant instead.

Homegrown culinary herbs are an inexpensive luxury. They're easy to grow, cheap to keep, don't require lots of space or attention, and aren't usually bothered by diseases and pests, making them perfect for the organic garden. They're pretty to look at, smell divine when you run your fingers through the plants (thanks for the reminder, Sherlie!), bursting with flavor, and are far fresher than those pricey little packets at the store, which may have been sprayed with toxic chemicals. Fresh herbs make everything better.

Chives, basil, Greek oregano, lemon thyme, Italian parsley, and lemon balm have been favorites in my organic kitchen garden for years, not only because they taste good, but because they've all done well in our challenging Missouri conditions. The bounty starts in spring, and I'm often still harvesting well into November.

And because the chives, oregano, lemon thyme, and lemon balm are all cold tolerant perennials, this means you plant them once and they come back year after year.

One of the nicest things about growing your own herbs is that, unlike many vegetables, you don't need a whole bushel to make a worthwhile harvest; just a little bit will go a long way. Many can be grown in pots, and most herb plants actually benefit from from being regularly snipped back, even when young.

5 comments:

I grow most of my herbs in pots on my deck and the returning ones in a garden bed. You didn't mention the fragrance when you run your finger thru the plants. Our dog would walk by the rosemary plants when we brought them inside. They are large pots and sit on the bottom shelf in front of the deck door. We would tell him he smelled like "roast beast". They are fun and easy to grow.

I have to tell you also, I am picking spinach. I planted a fall garden and was going to keep it covered with plastic during the winter, the severe cold and winds before xmas took care of that, so we put a thick layer of chopped leaves on the bed. A couple weeks ago, hubs says you have spinach growing in the garden. I have picked twice now and it is wonderful. Not sure if this a new gardening technique or just a fluke but I am planting my spinach in the fall next year.

Yes! Thanks for the gentle reminder (ahead of time which is always sooo important) that it is time to get those herbs into the ground. Chives are peaking up here in coastal New England as is rhubarb. Will have to check your link to see what the heck you do with lemon balm. Welcome back, dear Susan. You are missed when you're not posting here. How has lambing been going? Hope all is terrific. Hugs to the menagerie and dear Hunky Farmguy! :)

I just found your blog over the weekend and I've already pinned recipes and had a good look around - love it!! I have my herb garden on my deck right outside my kitchen door, which is awesome....the sad part is that even perennial herbs don't come back, except for the sage and chives. Sad. But I agree, by spending a little $$ in the spring, you reap huge rewards - I was still using my herbs even in the winter, every time I made broth I would throw in some of the frozen sprigs right out of the garden.

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

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